ACCOUNTING

Accounting has
existed much longer than other fields that are
similar to it. Indeed, accounting is the reason why humankind
ever
bothered to start actually writing things down at all. Accounting
is the
part where things actually get done rather than just talking about
doing them--
although it involves some of that, too. Accounting is also
sometimes
known as "accountancy."

DATABASES

GOVERNMENTAL
INTERNET
RESOURCES

Chief Financial
Officers CouncilThe CFO is meant
to promote financial management government,
and includes Chief Financial Officers from many government
agencies. The
site includes an FAQ, calendar, links, news, and a member list.

Financial Crimes
Enforcement Network (FinCEN)This organization
is meant to stop money from getting dirty
and dirty money from getting clean. It gives information on law
related
to this, news, how to report problems, and more.

Financial Management
ServiceThis is the body
that does the accounting for the federal
government. Here they make available statements and reports and
give
access to various useful resources, such as a glossary, news, and information
on specific topics.

The Internal
Revenue ServiceThis is the
website of the IRS. Unsurprisingly, the
IRS website can be used to do a lot of things. You can find
forms,
information on what the IRS expects from all kinds of entities,
different kinds
of news, and more.

Office of the Law
Revision CounselThis website has a
fast and simple design, and can be used
to view the U.S. Code in plain text or .pdf. There is a search
option,
and it can be browsed by title. The site also has CD-ROM ISO
images of
older versions of the code. Title 26 is the Internal Revenue
Code.

The U.S. Government
Accountability OfficeThis is an
independent governmental entity that examines how
tax dollars are spent. The site has news, reports and testimony
(as RSS
Feeds, also), and more. There is also FraudNET, which can be used
to
report wrongdoing. Incidentally, the GAO was formerly called the
"General Accounting Office."

INTERNET RESOURCES

accountingeducation.comBecoming a
registered user of this site is free. It
has news, a journal search, book selections, job postings, and more.

CPAnetThis is a fairly
useful hub of links related to accounting, finance,
assurance, and other subjects. The links displayed initially are
not only
links but are for pages of more links to pages of even more specific
links. It also has an RSS feed news ticker.

Ernst & YoungErnst & Young
was started in the U.K., but this site offers free information for a
variety of developed countries on a
variety of topics. Related topics are hyperlinked within
documents,
making it easy to move around.

Financial Ratios
CalculatorThe
Foster Business Library of the University of Washington Libraries has
made a rather generous web page with Instructions and Information
explaining what financial ratios are, what they mean, and an online
calculator
you can use to make them.

Rutgers
Accounting WebThis website is
meant for research and pedagogical purposes
and provides news and information. It's The Database of
Accounting Literature
is free to use, and along the left-hand side of the page are links to
other
related (either by association or geography) Accounting sites that can
be
useful. For instance, the Academy
of Accounting Historians has
a membership directory and links related
to Accounting and business history.

Tax and
Accounting Sites DirectoryThis site is a hub
filled with links divided by subject (Tax,
Accounting, Payroll/HR). The "Academia" link collection is
particularly large, and can lead to journal lists, associations, and
more.

ASSOCIATION WEBSITES

The American
Accounting AssociationThis association
was started in 1916, and still publishes
journals and more. Its newsletter can be read for free, but most
other
materials are only indexed. Since it is fairly large, the
AAA has
other more specific sections that could be of more interest. The American Taxation Association,
for instance, is a part of the AAA.

American Society of
Women AccountantsASWA has been
around since 1938 and is meant to help female
accountants grow professionally. Here there are job postings,
links, and
news that could be useful.

The Association of
Certified Fraud ExaminersThis website keeps
a variety of anti-fraud information
resources, but most of them are not free. One that is free,
however, is
its large page of links.
The association does offer student memberships, though.

Financial Accounting
Standards Board (FASB)This organization
is recognized by the SEC as authoritative
and creates standards of financial accounting and reporting. The
site
includes an FAQ on how to use it, Articles, Reports, Presentations,
news,
activities and more.

Governmental
Accounting Standards Board"The mission of
the Governmental Accounting Standards
Board is to establish and improve standards of state and local
governmental
accounting and financial reporting that will result in useful
information for
users of financial reports and guide and educate the public, including
issuers,
auditors, and users of those financial reports." As much of what
is
here isn't free, its related site Performance
Measurement for Government,
which focuses on financial reporting and
accounting for governmental entities, is a bit more useful.

The National
Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA)This is the
official website of the organization, although
there are others for local chapters. NABA promotes minorities
entering
accounting, supports those already doing it, and more. There are
job
listings in the Career Center portion of the site, and it is free to
view them.

Public Company
Accounting Oversight BoardThe PCAOB monitors
those who do accounting for companies and
makes sure they are performing responsibly. This website has
access to
their standards (as created by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002), rules
of the
board, news, and more. There are also instructions on how to
contact them
to report a possible violation.

Of
course, there are many more associations
and other groups specific to one's needs. Rutgers
has a long list, and a lot more besides.

As ever, there is always
more to find, especially if you have a specific topic to
research. Don't forget that NetLibrary is a big part of the
collection, and that Interlibrary Loan can get you even more materials.